Issues with Humanitarian Aid

Linda Polman, author of Crisis Caravan, writes about the issues involved with humanitarian aid organizations. The principle concerns that Polman raises in her book include the following. Most humanitarian aid organizations are forced to make bribes with local government/warlords to even begin to enter the country in need. To do this the aid organization then has to hand over money or most of their supplies. These bribes fuel the fire to conflict in the area and, in Polman's opinion, may do more harm than good. Polman also discusses Florence Nightingale and Henri Durant and their stances on how humanitarian aid should be handled. Nightingale is convinced that aid fails in its purpose if the warring parties use it to their own advantage. Durant firmly believes in the duty to help no matter what the consequences may be. Polman's concerns about aid organizations seem to mimic Nightingales when she discusses the Hutus vs. the Tutsis in the country of Rwanda. The Hutus and the Tutsis were at war in Rwanda and are a great example of how humanitarian aid can be manipulated by violence and chaos. In her book, Polman gives examples of this when she talks about the how badly the Hutus wanted the Tutsis out of their country. The Hutus goal was to completely wipe out all of the Tutsis and many of the moderate Hutus as well. The aid organizations were helping and taking care of these murderers and giving them the supplies, unknowingly, to attack more Tutsis. Some of the aid organizations even hired Hutus nurses, and when the Western aids workers would leave for the night, the Hutus would murder the moderate Hutus that they were supposed to be taking care of. These are just a few of the examples Polman gives of how humanitarian aid went wrong in the country of Rwanda. 

Another problem with humanitarian aid organizations that Polman brings up in her book is that many of the workers in these organizations are not qualified to be doing what they're doing. They have no experience in aid or medical work at all. Polman brings up an incident in Sierra Leone, among many others, where retired medical staff preform surgeries on victims that they are not licensed to preform in the United States and also in extremely bad conditions. There were many complications where victims had no aftercare and ended up dying on the table or of serious infection later on. Polman makes it clear that these organizations are not being regulated and may seriously be contributing to the problem. A startling statistic that Polman talks about is the amount of money the aids organizations raised for Sadam Hussein's regime in Northern Iraq while they were their helping the Kurds. These organizations were required by the local government to conduct all transactions in local currency. Doing this raised over 250 million dollars in 1992 for Sadam Hussein's regime. 


Polman is trying to spread the word about these humanitarian aid organizations not just so people know, but so that something can be done about it. Many of these organizations tend to look like "Mother Teresa" because of their commercials and ads that show the poverty and war stricken areas and their workers helping the needy. Journalists and  aid organizations work together to create an image that these organizations are only doing good and nothing bad could come out of donating money to their cause. The belief of Polman is that if enough people know the truth, the money will stop flowing into these organizations and they will be forced to be regulated by the United Nations. Polman is trying to make it clear to the public through her book that aid organizations can fuel the dangerous situations and indeed make things worse by being there. 

For more information watch Linda Polman's Ted Talk here:

Problems in Humanitarian Aid

In Crisis Caravan, Linda Polman stresses the concern of what really happens with the aid humanitarians provide. The largest problems occur when the aid providers are getting into warzones to provide aid. Many times humanitarians are forced to bribe their ways in to help the people in need. Bribing the warlords or chiefs results in a very large dilemma, the loss of materials the NGO planned on using to aid the citizens in need. The price paid by the NGO varies from situation to situation. The book used the experience; “I’ve come upon chiefs who let me through in return for a ballpoint. It’s also happened that I’ve failed to get away with anything less than the promise of a shopping trip to the capital for the chiefs wife, in a UN helicopter.” Whatever the price, the aid isn’t used for what the donor had intended, and this is the principal concern of Polman throughout this book.

When Polman says, “Aid organizations are businesses dressed up like Mother Teresa,” she’s talking about NGOs not having enough regulations. When journalists are sent in to report of the aid being provided, they are just shown around by the aid providers. Journalists don’t really go around and ask the neighboring people or much about the situation other than the aid itself. They don’t report on experiences like the bribing of the warlord. Reporters also don’t question the certifications or educations of the people working for the NGO.

NGOs have such little restriction that this is okay for them to do. Rules haven’t been put in place to keep them from taking actions like bribing. Polman implies that more needs to be done to keep NGOs honest and properly functioning.

Humanitarian aid wouldn’t be possible without the help of journalists, the public, and the government. In Polman’s descriptions, journalists seem to start the whole process. Through publishing articles in magazines and in the newspaper citizens and the government gain awareness. Whatever journalists report on is made known to the public and many people are then willing to take action. Polman wrote, “Most donor governments and private donors give money based on newspaper headlines, not the extent and urgency of human suffering.” Donations fuel the NGOs but if proper aid isn’t being provided, what’s the point?

NGO handing out donated products in Thailand after severe flood.
oakmonster.com

            NGOs show journalists what they want the entire world to see and this results in the public and the government offering donations. The public and the government are huge in the successfulness of NGOs because they provide donations and funding to get the organization to the place that needs the aid. The government plays an even larger role because they can put the word out even more. Through speeches and public announcements, the public becomes more and more aware from very important people in society.

            Polman concludes page 179 with, “If we decided to pay aid organizations to go somewhere, we should demand they explain exactly what they think they’re going to achieve there and how.” Asking questions about what NGOs plan to do with their donations would help inform the public and may even help with regulations and monitoring being put into place.

Overall. Humanitarian aid should be monitored and Linda Polman strongly focuses on this principal throughout Crisis Caravan. Help should be provided but in proper, efficient ways.

Humanitarian Aid Issues

The principal concern Polman raises in Crisis Caravan is that of NGOs and their effectiveness in war zones.  The author goes into great detail over how, without fail, NGOs have to bribe their way into war zones or other disaster areas.  They are forced to give a significant percentage of their aid to warlords, generals or whomever else may have a monopoly on violence in the region.  The book uses the Indonesian military as an example, “estimates suggest that Indonesian soldiers walked off with at least 30 percent of tsunami relief for Aceh Province; 30 percent is also the average slice of the Indonesian military regime’s state budget that ‘disappears’ annually.”

UN Aid Center in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.  The UN reportedly
brought Cholera to Haiti.   photo courtesy of The Washington Post

The book explains that the aid is used to feed soldiers or distributed among the kin of powerful, who in turn usually sell the aid to those who are in significantly less need of it.  The aid that does get through is often time distributed to the “bad guys.”  The author explains that in one instance aid groups were allowed in but only to aid an army that was in the process of committing genocide. Polman explains that at the core of this issue is a lack or regulation.  Every NGO is more or less free to bargain with each warlord as they please.  What results is on moral dilemma after another.

Polman states “Aid organizations are businesses dressed up like Mother Teresa” because the NGO system is put under very little scrutiny. Often journalists are only able to get the information they need through NGOs.  Proceeding to attack them would be counter-productive.  Additionally, NGOs are rarely if ever taken to the courts for possible misdoings. 

This has created a culture where NGOs do not have a serious incentive to assess the effectiveness of their own work in the grand scheme of helping those who need it.  Very little reform is put in place to improve the way aid is distributed and very little research of the situation is done before NGOs blindly rush into action in the event of an emergency. 

It seems Polman would make the argument that greater oversight of the NGO system would be needed to make humanitarian aid successful.  I would agree.  I would build off that and say greater accountability on the part of the humanitarian organizations is needed as well. 

In the wake of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the AP published a very good piece of journalism.  It explained that UN, in response to the disaster, unknowingly sent in peacekeepers that had Cholera.  Through the UN station’s poorly design  Immediately following this report the UN claimed little to no responsibility.           This is a good lesson for those attempting to give humanitarian aid.  It seems to that they should do a significant amount of research and preparation before they send any aid or workers.  Their efforts could in fact make the situation worse.  When mistakes are made, it is important to own up to them despite the impact on the bottom line.  An increased sense of accountability would help all parties involved. 

ed sewer system, the Cholera spread through the rivers and created an epidemic in the region.

Linda Polman The Crisis Caravan

 

What are the principal concerns Linda Polman raises in her book?

Humanitarian aids are not helping the poor and the most needed. Most of the government-donated money is going to the warlords or local governments, political elites, and business elites. Most of the money is actually worsening the situations in troubled areas. Most NGOs’ fund actually comes from governments. There isn’t any rule on how NGOs need to spend their money. NGOs’ priority is to please and keep their donors, basically the government. More aid money goes in to areas that have affiliation with the country that is proving aids and NGOs. Polman describes the vast industry that has enveloped humanitarian aid. Aid operations and charitable organizations often have ulterior motives and commercial interests. Aid workers have unintentionally become enabling agents of the atrocities they seek to relieve. They turned a blind eye on the committers of the genocide, as television viewers in the West assumed they were supporting victims of the cholera epidemic.

Why does she say “Aid organizations are businesses dressed up like Mother Teresa” (p. 177)?

Polman explains that journalists rarely question aid organizations. When it comes to aid, journalists “automatically approve.” They are far less suspicious of NGOs and refugee camps than of camps contracted to insurance companies in the Netherlands or the United Kingdom. Essentially, she argues that these organizations are masquerading as saints, but have a dark, rarely-discussed underbelly. She suggests the media isn’t critical enough of these organizations. Left unchecked, NGOs will continue to operate with harmful corruptions.

 What do journalists, the public, governments have to do to make humanitarian aid successful?

·        Journalists: Journalists need to play a watchdog role. They must maintain journalistic independence and distance themselves from their sources and subjects. They shouldn’t be supported financially by the organizations they cover. In order to improve humanitarian aid and fix the ethical dilemma faced by many NGOs, they need to talk about these issues out in the open instead of glossing over them.

·        The Public: Polman certainly doesn’t intend to curb proactive support of people in devastating circumstances. Instead, she challenges readers to be more informed. When donating, we should do our homework and ask more questions. Research the organizations and their goals. Know how they plan to allocate funds and supporting materials. Understand the cultural, political, economic and social environment in which the aid is being offered.  Do you support an organization that is sufficiently independent to decide just who gets their aid? As these organizations become more and more similar to business organizations, we supporters must become savvy and conscientious customers.

·        Governments: Governmental administrations should never rely on humanitarian aid to “save face.” We must look back at the root of humanitarian aid: to help people in need. It is the duty of the government to ensure the welfare of its citizens. When a natural disaster strikes, the government should do everything it can to support those harmed. Not for votes or for political backing, but for the sake of humanity. In 2013, the U.S. provided $4.7 billion for humanitarian emergencies, making it the largest government donor of official humanitarian assistance.

Environmental Issues and Human Rights in North Korea

North Korea is a prime example of a country that does not deal with human and environmental rights. Ironically, it has one of the worst human and environmental rights situation in the world. Human rights are the universal rights we have as humans. The United Nations created a document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. However, there is no way to make sure that these laws are being upheld all over the world. The UN has been looking for a way to enforce these rights that are considered natural law, but have been unsuccessful in many countries around the world, including North Korea. 

This is a photo showing the devastation of a North Korean prison camp that many are sent to

Some examples of what is in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the following: nobody has a right to enslave anyone, we have the freedom to move and travel, no one can put us in prison without good reason, we have the right to housing and food, we have the right to say what we like and share our ideas, we have the right to a democracy, we have the right to affordable medicine, we have the freedom of thought and religion. All of the examples that I have listed above, and even more out of the 30 articles in the actual Declaration, are not being upheld by the North Korean government. 

According to HumanRightsWatch.org North Korea has been violating human rights in numerous ways including the following: extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. If anyone decides they want to leave North Korea and travel somewhere else, they are not allowed without the permission of the state and this is seldom given. If anyone is caught saying anything negative about North Korea they are sent to prison camps and tortured for their disobedience. In these prison camps things such as sleep deprivation, beatings with rods, sexual abuse, and starvation are just a few of the things North Korean citizens endure for simply using there human rights. 

This is a photo of a protest demanding Human Rights in North Korea

As far as dealing with environmental issues, North Korea seems to be focused on other things such as their conflicts with South Korea and other surrounding countries. They do not have a set system of finding a way to create a better environment for their citizens. As I discussed in my previous blog on North Korea's environment, there land is barren and most everything that was once alive is now dead. Their wildlife has mostly been extinct because of the serious famine that their country has been experiencing. 

In the chapter called Beyond Eurocentrism of Martha Meijer's book titled Dealing with Human Rights Farish Noor makes a few important points about going beyond eurocentrism. First off, what is eurocentrism? Noor describes it as the belief that Western culture is advanced and everything else is less advanced. Noor makes the point that in order for human rights to be universal and for them to be successful that there is a need for indigenious understanding of rights and liberties. He also discusses how difficult it is for human rights to be universal when there are so many different cultures. He argues that we must try to embody fundamental similarities in order for human rights to be universal. It is true that there are many cultures and universal human rights may be difficult, but it is worth it to keep the lives of our fellow human beings safe. After research on the way North Koreans are treated, I am much more interested and enforcing the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No one should be tortured and murdered for things that should be natural. 

Sources:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/north-korea

http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/responding-to-north-koreas-ecological-vulnerability

Environmental Issues and Human Rights in Thailand

            Thailand faces many environmental issues as the country grows.  A few of the largest problems are deforestation and pollution.  Pollution encompasses many other problems that continue to get worse as well.  According to a piece called, “Environmental Problems in Thailand,” on www.slideshare.net, the company is increasing restrictions on logging and resulted in a drop in the rate of deforestation.  Before this, the forest coverage in Thailand fell from 53% in 1961 to 25% in 1998.  Deforestation may be getting mended but the same impacts are felt by erosion.

            Pollution is a huge problem in Thailand because the country is moving so quickly in industrial expansion.  Pollution is happening in the air and water.  The increasing population numbers mixed with the polluted air is causing health problems.  Citizens grow up breathing in toxins. 

            “Environmental Problems in Thailand” listed that, “approximately one third of Thailand’s surface water bodies are considered to be of poor quality.”  Waste such as sewage is finding it’s way into the water supply of Thailand and causing not just problems for the citizens but for the wildlife, marine environment, and plants as well.  This all puts pressure on Thailand’s water resources. 

A canal in Bangkok that is overflowing with garbage
Image by Adam Janofsky http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/thailand-conservation-sustainability-rivers-roads-water-air-pollution-trash-Bangkok 

            Solutions to this are found through organizations like Wildlife Fund Thailand (WFT) that’s in association with World Wildlife Fund.  The program creates projects across the nation and focuses on bettering the environment.  The organization establishes goals and furthers development in Thailand.  WFT combined with the help of the government; Thailand has begun dealing with their environmental issues.  But before they can stop these problems in their tracks, climate change is happening.

            Climate change has so much to do with human rights.  How are people and cultures supposed to continue their traditions and grow as a group if the life and land they know is changing beneath them?  The reading last week of “The Inuit Right to Culture Based on Ice and Snow,”  by Shelia Watt-Cloutier proved just that.  As people have been raised and developed a sense for what’s around them, elements like the temperature can’t just change.  Their lives are used to one thing.  Imagine if Missouri quickly changed to being like Alaska, what would we do?  Our culture is used to being cold but not Alaska cold. 

            Every culture has crafted their lifestyle to fit the world around them and climate change should not take that away.  One of the basic human rights is the right to life.  As humans we have the right to our lives and climate change challenges our lives.

            Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey gave great points about how the changing world around us is changing the way the younger generations are learning and growing up.  She gave an example of when she was filming and had to push the equipment across the island in a wheel barrel.  A native man stopped her and said, “You all have watches but you have no time.”  Dr. Lindsey related this back to the lifestyle she is accustomed to.  Always being in a hurry but never taking the opportunity to slow down and live her life.

A Thai women protests for her human rights and for her country.
www.nationmultimedia.com

            The main points of Farish A. Noor in “Beyond Eurocentrism,” were asking if we really had a universal set of human rights, how could this be judged, how this relates to different cultures, religions and traditions, and the main obstacles that are faced.  This relates to Thailand because the human rights that are offered here in the United States aren’t the same as in Thailand so how are they any different humans than us?  Who makes the choices of what rights we deserve as humans.  Noor talks about the Western dominance in politics and economics.  Everyone around the world may encounter American fast food and know American pop stars, but the values of American aren’t the beliefs and values of everyone around the world.  Different cultures and religions see the guideline of human rights differently all around the globe.  We as humans face so many obstacles just to get the rights we deserve for being humans.  Obstacles pop up when we’re a certain race or religion or just live in a different part of the world.  Human rights are difficult concepts to make everyone in the world believe them all.

            Thailand faces many issues on it’s own through environmental problems and the rights of humans being unequal.  As time goes on and organizations like WFT team up with the government to get the environmental problems under control and the rights humans deserve continue to be expressed, Thailand will continue to grow and become a healthier country.

Environmental problems and Human Rights - Taiwan

Environmental protection and human rights has been an ongoing debate for quite some time and I believe they both go hand in hand. In Taiwan rights like the right to live are violated daily with the impact of waste from big industrial companies. Environmental groups throughout the country are calling out the Environmental Protection Agency and their handling of their garbage incineration policy which has been shown to prioritize industrial waste over household waste. Taiwan Watch Institute secretary-general Herlin Hsieh (謝和霖) said EPA policy benefits incineration plant operators by allowing them to accept industrial waste, adding that operators can charge more for the processing of industrial waste.

The EPA has constructed 26 incineration plants under its “one incineration plant for each municipality” policy, but one plant in Taitung County and another in Yunlin County have yet to start operation.

The problem here is an economic one as incineration plants make more money dealing with industrial waste over household. Incineration plants can earn more than NT$1,000 for every ton of household garbage from other municipalities that they process, while they can earn between NT$1,500 and more than NT$2,000 for processing 1 ton of industrial waste, making industrial waste more attractive, Hsieh said. There are three privately managed plants, five public plants and 16 other facilities constructed by the EPA that have been transferred to local governments and run by private companies.

“The 21 government-funded plants should prioritize household garbage over industrial waste, instead of benefiting plant operators at the taxpayers’ expense,” he said. With the waste industry basically being capitalized it may become a bidding war on who takes out the trash and who can afford to have trash. With Taiwan charging people per trash bag to incinerate a nationwide liter problem may be in the foreseeable future.  

To sum up what Farish Noor said in Beyond Eurocentrism, the western world must begin to accept and co-exist with other countries and their cultural values and beliefs. Ethnocentrism which is defined by Noor is the tendency of individuals and cultures to view themselves as well as the environment around them from the perspective of their own culture, values and beliefs. Over time countries have found ways to reject to ideals and beliefs of the western world and have created movements of their own a recent example of this would be the rise of ISIS. These countries have felt ignored and are tired of the superiority complex the western world has. In the future it is our job as Americans and citizens of this world to be more accepting and understanding of everyone’s culture around us. How can someone understand what a certain group or demographic is going through when they have never had a conversation or got to know them on a personal level.

Article contents courtesy of Taipei Times